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Isadore "Izzy" Moreno
Isadore Francisco "Izzy" Moreno (born 1947) is a small-time thief, conman and petty street criminal, who's endless enthusiasm and eternally optimistic attitude totally belie his lack of success and somewhat limited intelligence. As of 1984, he had three three felony counts to his name, and would have had a fourth added to his record (bank robbery) were it not for the actions of the cops who caught him - James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs. In a desperate bid for freedom, Moreno hastily gave up information on "everybody he's known since the sixth grade", including Louis McCarthy, who, fortunately for him, was the subject of a major OCB investigation at the time. As a result, Crockett and Tubbs offered Moreno immunity from prosecution in return for further information on McCarthy, information that eventually led to McCarthy's arrest. Working With The Vice Team From that point onwards, Izzy Moreno became a continual source of information for Crockett and Tubbs, despite his constant pleas that he could be killed for the facts he divulged. In return, the Vice cops turned a blind eye to his numerous and often ridiculous side ventures, which included auto theft (of a cement mixer), interior design, celebrity dog walking, photography, dealing in jewellery (presumably stolen), street serenade, B-movies, dance classes with complimentary financial advice, and even an ill-advised attempt at kidnapping and extortion, among many others. Occasionally, he was assisted in his scams by his mute partner Manny. More rarely, he would team up with fellow streetperson Nugart "The Noogman" Lamont, a partnership that only served to heighten the ridiculous nature of his schemes. The Vice cops continually used the threat of jail as a means of extracting information from the often-reluctant Moreno, who was apparently unable to realise the (generally) insignificant nature of his crimes was unlikely to land him in serious trouble. At the same time, he was a begrudging friend of the Vice cops, as demonstrated when he went out of his way to save Crockett's Ferrari Daytona from being repossessed by pencil-pushers working within the Metro-Dade Police Department. Moreno loved to quote (in his own unique style) Hemingway, Iaccoca and Phil Collins, among others, and his broken English and thick Cuban accent often made for some unintentionally amusing phrases. Moreno had a cousin, Jorge "Georgie" Esteban, who, sick of the drugs and crime in the city, christened himself "Miracle Man" and became a self-styled superhero fighting for good in the city. Esteban's death at the hands of drug dealers hit Moreno hard, but Crockett and Tubbs helped him through his depression. Finally, with the Vice cops themselves becoming sick of the world in which they operated and disgusted by the corruption that was stopping them doing their jobs, they quit the force, but not before asking Izzy for one last piece of information. Unable to face threatening Moreno with jail any more, Crockett simply paid him for the details, much to his surprise. Once they had what they wanted to know, Crockett and Tubbs released Izzy from their threats of prosecution and let him go (but not before Crockett took his money back). Quotes *"Like they say, man - 'He who hesitates... don't get any monitors'." - "Made For Each Other" *"This man plunges hisself into the murky waters of the underworld... to risk life and limb to try and stem the crime flow... and keep us all from drowning in a cesspool of lawlessness... susussudio!" - "Whatever Works" Category:Recurring Miami Vice Characters